Following its sold-out seasons of King Lear, Julius Caesar, and 2024’s critically acclaimed Hamlet, Melbourne Shakespeare Company returns to fortyfivedownstairs with a raw, visceral reimagining of Othello, this September.
Directed by visionary theatre-maker Tanya Gerstle, this production strips Shakespeare’s tragedy back to its brutal emotional core. A tightly woven five-actor ensemble explores themes of jealousy, betrayal and the consequences of post traumatic stress. The men are battle-scarred and broken. The women are collateral damage.
Leading the cast is Christopher Kirby (The Matrix Reloaded, Star Wars) as Othello, alongside Dushan Philips (Counting & Cracking, The Newsreader) as Iago. Tanya Schneider (The Whale, There Is No Antimemetics Division) as Desdemona, Lucy Ansell (Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Utopia) as Emilia/Bianca and Matthew Furlani (Credentials, The Iliad) completes the ensemble as Cassio and Lodovico.
In a gripping 90-minute, no-interval performance, audiences will be drawn into a physically charged world where unspoken fears and suppressed desires erupt into devastating action.
“With Pulse, what is not said and what is implied by the text becomes fertile ground for physical exploration – that ‘hidden story’ is manifested through action. I want to experience what drives a character through their physicality…” said director Tanya Gerstle.
Bringing her signature Pulse process to Othello, Gerstle shapes a production that throws away artifice, allowing the actors to inhabit the extremities of Shakespeare’s text with visceral immediacy. Her acclaimed method will be published in a practical guide The Pulse Approach – Physical Improvisation for Theatre Makers and Directors by Bloomsbury in January 2026.
Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s 2024 Hamlet was hailed as “an invigorating production… Shakespeare lovers should grab themselves a ticket before the scalpers descend” (The Age). Praised for its sophisticated interpretation and commanding performances.
This new Othello promises to uphold that high standard, bringing fresh vitality to one of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedies. Love shatters. Power corrodes. No villain rises alone.
Director: Tanya Gerstle | Featuring: Lucy Ansell, Matthew Furlani, Christopher Kirby, Dushan Philips, Tanya Schneider | Set Designer: Harry Gill | Lighting Designer: Sidney Younger | Sound Designer & Composer: Jack Burmeister | Stage Manager: Jade Hibbert | Assistant Stage Manager: Siena Bonnici | Voice Consultant: Geraldine Cook | Producer & Production Manager: Seamus Allan | Artistic Director: Jennifer Sarah Dean
OTHELLO
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: 12 – 28 September 2025 (preview: 11 September)
Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
For more information, visit: www.melbourneshakespeare.com for details.
Image: Christopher Kirby stars as Othello – photo by Elena Ruefenacht